Etymology

From older spînz, from *spîndzu (compare Aromanian spingiu), from Latin spongia ‎(“sponge”); metaphorically applied to horse diseases, as in Spanish espundia ‎(“skin ulcer (in horses)”), Sardinian spòngia, ispunzòla ‎(“wobbler syndrome”); ultimately from Ancient Greek σπογγιά ‎(spongiá). Cf. also Albanian spëndër.